The scrip solution: the North West Metis scrip policy, 1885-1887

Abstract

Metis scrip was administered in Western Canada from 1870 until 1924 as a means of extinguishing the Aboriginal title of mixed-ancestry Aboriginal peoples. This policy was implemented in three basic phases: in Manitoba from 1870 to 1886; in the North West from 1885 to 1887; and in conjunction with First Nation treaties from 1887 to 1924. The second phase - North West scrip, 1885 to 1887 - was integral to the development of the policy and needs to be considered in more detail. The North West Commission, distinct from the Manitoba policy, set the precedent for later commissions by re-defining the process for extinguishing Aboriginal title through unilateral legislation, by creating a new legal category of non-status Aboriginal peoples, and by providing a means for reducing the number of treaty First Nations. Ultimately, Metis scrip served the government's aim to settle the west.